Not just me – this post too….

The Tea Ride. 10am every Saturday from The Rose & Crown, Ivinghoe.

As fast as the slowest rider…..

Dear Dusty Springfield….. (And our lovely Daphne…) a Tea Ride tribute will be departing as usual at 10am from the Rose & Crown on Saturday morning.

I don’t know what it is that makes me love you so
I only know I never want to let you go
‘Cause you’ve started something
Oh, can’t you see?
That ever since we met
You’ve had a hold on me
It happens to be true
I only want to ride with you…

It doesn’t matter where we go or what we do
I want to spend each Saturday with you
Oh, look what has happened with just one ride
I just don’t want to stay at home and hide
It’s crazy but it’s true
I only want to ride with you

You stopped and smiled at me
And asked if I’d care to enrol
I came along for tea & cake
And it’s all so great for my soul

Now listen honey,
I just want to ride with you guys everywhere
As long as we’re altogether, honey, I don’t care
‘Cause we’ve started something
Oh, can’t you see?
That every time we meet
You have a hold on me
No matter where we go
I only want to ride with you

So with the good weather today Eas-ing you into the weekend, you can rest assured that Saturday probably won’t be quite so wonderful.  But that’s no egg-scuse for not being out on your bike!

Regardless of the weather, the Tea Ride Bike & Bonnet Parade will leave the Rose & Crown, Ivinghoe at 10am.  Prize for the Best Turned Out bike & rider combo…..

See you for tea …… (& cake of course!)

The Tea Ride is a place to learn
About riding on the road,
How to get more from your bike
And some cycling code.

Everyone is welcome
On bikes both big & small
And we’re really not concerned
If you’ve not ridden much at all.

Each ride has a leader
Who always knows the way,
And the route the ride will follow
Every Saturday.

That person at the front
Will set a steady pace
Designed to suit the slowest out,
The Tea Ride is no race.

We know there’s often grumbles
About the speed & hills
But the Tea Ride is your opportunity
To learn important cycling skills.

Better cycle handling
Can be learnt when going slow
A touch of brake or pedal
And in which gear to go

How to look behind you
And keep the ride as one
A bit of road positioning
And which hand signals are done.

The rider who is at the front
Should always be the one
That no-one ever overtakes –
To pass them simply isn’t done

Club etiquette says we will wait
At the top of every hill
And regroup at the bottom
After the free-wheeling thrill.

Going up or down are exceptions
To the overtaking rule
For then we get back in our group
– just like we did at school!

It’s fun to ride along with friends
And often side by side,
But 2 abreast is how it’s done –
Three is simply far too wide!

If you find you need to stop
Then loud & clear please call
“Stopping!” So all can hear you
And we avoid a crash & fall

The same applies to hazards
If hand signals you cannot make
Call out loud the problem
Then evasive action we can take

There’s always another rider
Who will bring up the rear
This is so we don’t lose you
And off the back you don’t disappear.

If you feel the Tea Ride
For you, is too slow
Then form a group amongst yourselves
And meet us wherever we go.

We always stop for tea & cake
Somewhere along the way
If you want to zoom ahead
And meet us there – just say!

You Sunday lot, there’s also things
That all of you should know
About looking after everyone
When in your groups you go

There’s something most disheartening
About being left behind
So keep looking over your shoulder
And bear this thought in mind.

It’s also very lonely
To be riding with no pals
That’s why the Velos group was formed
For all us boys n gals

We’ve always had a motto
To which all should adhere
We’ve safety then in numbers
And have pals with whom to share a beer

“No one EVER left behind”
Was the vow we made
It’s the only thing we’ve asked of you
But from it you seem to have strayed 🙁

We’ve had a little grumble
And laid it on the line
Please look after your fellow cyclists
So that everyone is fine.

You are cordially invited
To ride along with us
But please stick to our simple rules
So we don’t need to make a fuss.

The weather gods are not smiling favourably upon us again this week, so if you’re feeling brave and fancy a Tea Ride….. wrap up warm & use winter wheels!  Rose & Crown, 10am.

I have to confess, I am running out of ways to describe the torrent of weather befalling us on Saturday mornings!

I’m sure it’s seasonal – but probably monsoon season – so not local seasonal weather AGAIN this weekend.

However, should the forecasters be doing a “Michael Fish” and getting it completely wrong – or if you’re big enough and bad enough and fancy a splashy spin, don your oilskins and congregate at the Rose & Crown, Ivinghoe, ready to cast off at 10am.

It’s been touch on the stormy side today.

Allegedly tomorrow is going to be a bit less fierce but we do recommend bringing some ballast with you to keep you line….

We leave the Rose & Crown at 10am, so please roll up ready to go (as fast as the slowest rider) by then……

Last week was the practise run… this week it’s the real thing…  Officially, it’s Mr B’s Birthday ride this weekend.

Somewhere pleasantly flatish… even more pleasant when we get there… and the pleasantness of the company goes without saying!!

Rolling off from the Rose & Crown at 10am, every Saturday.

So… either side of this weekend we have our first 2 birthday’s of the year – Happy Birthday ladies!

Mary has arranged that this weekend’s Tea Ride takes us to The Stag at Mentmore (no….not straight there, we might need to pedal a little way first).  We are aiming to arrive for tea, coffee and cakes about 11.15/11.30am.  Should the weather not be to your liking, then by all means drive over and meet us there.

If you would like to join us (on however many wheels it may be!), please would you let us know – just so that we have an idea of numbers to ensure there is sufficient cake! (The Stag is not usually open for tea & cake so it will be laid on especially for us).

Leaving the  Rose & Crown at 10am.

As ever, the last Saturday before Christmas sees the Tea Ride become the Tinsel Ride.  This year we shall be heading to either Aston Clinton Coffee House or to the Oasis Cafe at Wing Church, depending on numbers.

The same rules as normal apply – as fast as the slowest rider, back in time for lunch, cake/tea/coffee stop obligatory, that kind of thing.  The only additional request is bikes should be suitably bedecked to fit the season.  To what extreme you take that is entirely up to you …..

There will be prizes ……….

Leaving the Rose and Crown at 10am.

As ever, the Tea Ride will set sail at 10am from the Rose and Crown.  It looks like it’s bikes rather than boats this weekend however, the roads are getting a bit skanky and a lot of the hedges have had a haircut so if you have something a bit more substantial than a road bike it might be time to dust off the cobwebs…..